Arnold's first summer with his parents
by erica.phoenix16
Summary: After the events of the Jungle Movie, Arnold gets to know his parents all over again over the course of the summer.
1. Chapter 1

**I know it's been awhile since the Jungle movie came out, but it just took a long time to write this fic.**

 **Anyway, I don't own any characters except my own. Hey Arnold belongs to Crag Bartlett and Nickelodeon.**

* * *

As Arnold, Gerald and Helga left the secret sanctuary of the Green-eyes of San Lorenzo, Arnold could hardly believe it, his parents, his very own parents were alive, well and coming home with him and his class! Arnold has to pinch himself several times, before he could except that this was real. Then he was interrupted by Gerald asking "Can't believe this is real? I don't know which is more shocking, you and Helga, of all people are a couple now or the fact that you found your parents and they're coming home with us!"

Helga let out a small grow as she angrily asked "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Yes, What does that mean anyway?" Arnold's Mom, Stella questioned with a small frown on her face.

For a moment, Helga was worried that Arnold's parents would think the worst of her and that would need to work hard to gain their approval. Then Stella said "However, I can ask those questions later, for now Miles and I just want to go back home to the states, catch up on all the Time we've missed, get know not just Arnold, but all of you as well."

"Why would you want to know us?" Gerald wondered.

"One you helped saved our lives and the lives of the Green eyes, Two, the both of you saved our son's life and Three, you're our son's friend's." Miles stated.

At this, Helga felt a mix of emotions go through her. She felt happy that she and Arnold were now friends and a couple, but she also felt bad that it took all this time for them to get there.

Then Helga was brought out of her thoughts as Gerald said "How are we going to get back to our class and free them?"

"We'll find a way." Arnold said reassuringly.

"Actually, I can help you guys find your way back." Eduardo offered as he approached the group.

Arnold, Gerald and Helga blinked in surprise, they forgot that Eduardo was still there.

"Sure, Eduardo." Miles stated.

* * *

Sometime later, Arnold, Eduardo, Gerald, Helga and Arnold's very own parents were finding their way back to La Sombra's camp/prison.

"I see a fire in the distance." An excited and relieved Gerald said as he pointed to it.

At the sight of the fire, the group hurried towards the camp as fast as they could. However, when they reached the camp, the group was shocked to discover that Arnold's class had already been freed.

Upon seeing the group, Arnold's classmates, Mr. Simmons, Olga and Arnold's grandparents rushed towards them. However the moment that Phil and Pookie saw their long lost son, they froze with shock as Miles and Stella did the same.

"Miles...Stella...is it really you?" The elderly couple whispered softly at the same time.

Miles's eyes filled with tears as he replied "Yes, It's me and Stella. Mom and Dad."

Upon hearing those words, both Phil and Pookie began to cry as they rushed towards their son and daughter-in law. As they embraced, Pookie pulled Miles close to her as she began to sob "My boy….my baby boy… you've come back to me!"

Olga started to sob as she added "This is so beautiful!"

Helga merely rolled her eyes at her older sister's over-the-top emotional display. Then Mr. Simmons interrupted the moment with "I'm sorry, you guys, but if you're really are Arnold's parents then I'm afraid we're going need to make a trip to the U.S. embassy."

The whole group looked at Mr. Simmons in stunned silence. How could he ruin the moment like this?

"Why?" Was all a disbelieving Arnold could say.

"What do you mean?" Grandpa Phil added.

A guilty looking Mr. Simmons let out a sad sigh as he continued with "Look you maybe truly be Arnold's long lost parents, but I'm going to need proof and so will America."

"What kind of proof will you need?" Arnold questioned in an almost desperate tone.

"DNA, thumb prints and ID." Mr. Simmons answered as he added "And the only place that can help us get any of that stuff is the nearest US embassy."

A determined look appeared in Arnold's eyes as he answered "What are we waiting for? Let's go."

"Yeah, but there's just one problem. How are we going to get back to civilization?" Big Bob spoke up.

"Don't worry, we'll find a way." Eduardo replied.

At once, the whole group turned Eduardo and said "Who are you?"

"My name is Eduardo, I saved Arnold, Gerald and Helga from Lashomba and aided the three of them in awakening both the Green eyes and my dear friends, Miles and Stella." The Latino man explained.

"He's the one that 'attacked' us that night." Arnold added. "Only he wasn't trying to attack us, he was trying to save us from Lasombra and his crew."

The whole group looked at Eduardo with a mixture of awe and gratitude.

* * *

Sometime later, Eduardo was leading the group back to his own boat. As the group walked, Gerald turned to his best friend and said "This trip may not have turned out the way you wanted, but at least we'll have an amazing story to tell when we get back to the states."

Arnold turned to look at his family, his Gramma, his Grandpa and now his parents before turning back to Gerald as he said "Yeah. Yeah, we are."

Then the moment was then interrupted by Harold loudly asking "Are we there yet? How much longer do we have to walk?"

Eduardo turned to Harold and said "We'll get there when we get there."

As soon as he said that, the group spotted a boat waiting for them.

"Is that boat for us?" Olga asked with delight.

"Yes and it will take all of us back to the capital of San Lorenzo." Eduardo explained cheerfully.

"Now class, line up slowly and carefully…" Mr. Simmons started to say, however he was quickly interrupted by the class letting out a loud cheer before they ran onto the boat. The only students who listened to Mr. Simmons were Arnold, Gerald, Helga and Phoebe. As they got on the boat, Arnold and his Grandparents looked at Miles and Stella with worry, but Miles spoke up with "Don't worry, once we get to the embassy, we'll clear this whole thing up and we'll be a family again."

"Aren't we already a family again." Arnold stated.

"Yes, we are." Stella added.

Then Miles changed the subject with "What's been happening in America all the years since we've…?"

He stopped, unwilling to finish that sentence.

There was an uncomfortable silence that followed, then Gerald broke the silence with "As you can see Arnold has grown into a fine young man."

"I can see that and we've been proud of Arnold since the day he was born." Stella interjected.

Arnold beamed as he wrapped his arms around his mom. Soon his dad, his grandma, his grandpa, Gerald, Helga and Phoebe all joined in, turning it into a group hug. Just as they broke apart, Eduardo said "Okay, everyone it's getting close to dinnertime."

As the whole class turned to face Eduardo, he added "I know you all had a rough few days and you can all use a delicious meal, but please remember to line up by dining table, slowly and carefully and don't push or shove."

Gerald let out a chuckle as he whispered to Arnold "Looks like Mr. Simmons had the chance to warn Eduardo about Harold's eating habits."

"Whose Harold?" Stella inquired.

"He's a classmate and he can be nice when you get to know him." Arnold explained.

"Can you tell us more about your other classmates?" Miles wondered. "We already met Gerald and Helga and you did introduce us to Phoebe." he added.

"There's Stinky…"Arnold started to say, but his parents interrupted with "Stinky?" "What kind of name is that?" Miles questioned.

"Miles, don't be rude." Stella whispered before she turned back to Arnold and said "You were saying?"

"Sid's also in my class along with Eugene, Rhonda and Nadine." Arnold explained.

"What are Stinky, Sid, Eugene, Rhonda and Nadine like?" Stella asked.

"Well, Stinky's from the country, but he has a great sense of humor and so does Sid." Arnold explained before Gerald took over with "Eugene's a good kid, but he's a kind of...clumsy. Rhonda's also a good kid, but she can be a bit obsessive sometimes. As for Nadine, she's cool."

Soon, Arnold, Gerald, Helga, Phoebe and Arnold's grandparents continued to talk Miles and Stella about various things, like their work on curing the Green eyes, Arnold's childhood and his many friendships.

* * *

Then, it was time for dinner and then it was time to go to sleep. Arnold wanted to sleep with his parents, but Mr. Simmons refused to let him, until Arnold's grandparents promised that they would be with him.

Mr. Simmons looked uneasy before he replied with "Alright, but you have to keep a close eye on them."

As he left with Gerald, Helga and Phoebe, Arnold's classmates whispered "Good night Arnold. Good night Phil and Pookie and Good night...uhhh…"

At that moment, it dawned on Gerald, Helga and Phoebe that they had no idea what to call Arnold's parents, should they call them Mr. and Mrs. Shortman or Miles and Stella. Then their thoughts were interrupted as Stella asked "What's the matter?"

Gerald was the first to speak up with "Nothing, it's just that we don't know what to call you guys."

"How about Miles and Stella?" Miles offered.

"Okay." Gerald answered with a smile as he, Helga and Phoebe said "Good night Miles and Stella."

With that, the three classmates waved goodbye as they headed off back to there sleeping area. Once they were gone, Arnold turned to both his grandparents and parents and said "Do you think we'll reach the embassy tomorrow?"

"I know we will and they'll prove that we're your parents and our baby boy." Stella assured him as she gave him a kiss on his forehead.

Arnold smiled at his mom before he wished his whole family good night and fell asleep.

As the young boy slept, he dreamt of going home with his whole family and introducing his parents to Ernie, Mr. Hyuh and Oskar. They would all get along great with the residents of the boarding house and Arnold and his family would spend a lot time together in the city, in the park, in the museum, in the shopping mall and any other place he could think of. As Arnold and his parents were watching a baseball game, he suddenly heard his dad say "Arnold, It's time to get up."

Arnold blinked as he woke up to see his whole family looking down at him with smiles. Then Arnold hugged his mom and dad, tightly as if they would disappear if he let go of them. For a long time, the whole family was in a group hug and then they let go of each other and went to join the rest of the class, or in Arnold's case, went over to Eduardo and asked "How much longer until we reach the capital of San Lorenzo?"

Eduardo smiled as he said "We'll be there soon after breakfast."

With that, Arnold gave him a smile of gratitude and hurried to join his classmates and family for breakfast. As he helped himself to some pancakes, Arnold turned to his parents and asked "How does it feel to think you'll be heading back to America after all this time?"

For a moment, nether Miles or Stella said anything, then Stella was the first to break the silence with "It's a bit overwhelming. We've been in San Lorenzo for so long, going back to America almost feels like a dream."

Then she added "I missed your first day of school and so much of your childhood, I don't know how your father and I are ever going to make it up to you."

"You're here now. That's all that matters and we'll have plenty of time to bond over the summer." Arnold replied in a resulting manner.

Before Stella or Miles could respond to that, an excited Eugene called out "We're back!"

At once, everyone turned to look to see that they heading towards the docks of San Lorenzo's capital. As Arnold's class began to cheer, Arnold hugged his parents once more as he said "We're almost home."

* * *

A while later, Arnold, his class, his grandparents and his parents were waiting in the embassy office as Mr. Simmons explained the situation to an embassy worker. Once he was finished, she walked over to the Shortman family and said "My name is Katie and I'll like interview you all one at a time please."

Miles stood up first as he replied "I'll go first."

With that, he got up and followed Katie to a back room. Soon, he came back and Katie did the same with each and every one of his family members until it was Arnold's turn. As the young boy stood up, Gerald, Helga and Phoebe gave him smiles of encouragement as they silently wished him luck. As Arnold followed Katie down the hallway, he asked "What's going to happen?"

"You have nothing to worry about. I'm just going to ask you a few questions and then take a blood sample." Katie explained in a gentle tone.

As Arnold opened his mouth to ask why, Katie replied with "It's just to make sure that the people you and your friends really are your missing parents."

"They are my parents and they aren't missing anymore. I've been looking at photos of them all my life. I know what they look like." Arnold hissed.

Katie gave him a pitying look as she said "I'm sorry, but I have to follow protocol."

Then they stopped at a black door before Katie opened and the two of them stepped inside the room. The room was surprisingly colorful with red and yellow colors decorating the wall.

"Our jobs at the embassy are stressful, so the walls are brightly colorful to help keep our spirits up." Katie explained as she sat herself down on a white chair.

Arnold sat himself down on a white couch across from her as Katie added "Tell me a few things about yourself Arnold?"

"I live in Hillwood and go to P.S. 115 with my class. My best friend is Gerald and we like to do everything together." Arnold explained.

"What do you know about your parents?" Katie asked.

"I know that they were explores and that's how they met. They lived in San Lorenzo for awhile, they got married here and had me here before deciding that life in the states was much safer for me. I was only a baby when they had to fly back to San Lorenzo to help the Green eyes out with a serious illness and my Grandparents and I didn't hear anything from them for years." Arnold answered.

"Do you know why they just disappeared?" Katie questioned as she started taking notes.

Arnold felt annoyance grow within him, but brushed it aside as he said "I learned that they got the same sickness and it put them in a coma for at least several years."

Arnold decided to leave out the part that only he could cure his parents and the green eyes thanks to the fact that they considered him to their chosen one. It sounded just to silly for most grown ups to believe.

"They told me that too." Katie replied before she changed the subject with "What are your parent's names?"

"Their names are Miles and Stella Shortman." Arnold answered.

"What are your grandparents names?" Katie inquired as she wrote down Arnold's answer.

"My Grandpa's name is Phil and my Grandma's name is Gertrude." Arnold answered.

"What are your Mom's parents names?" Katie wondered as she wrote down Arnold's responses.

Arnold thought long and hard before he replied "I don't know my mom's mom's name, but I know my mom's dad's name was Arnold because they named me after him."

Katie nodded as she wrote down Arnold's a answer.

Then she looked up at him and said "Well, your answers match those of Miles and Stella, and no stranger would no this much about a child's family. All that's left to do is the dna test."

"How does that work?" Arnold wondered.

Katie gave him a pitying look as she replied "We're going to have take a blood test."

"What?" Arnold questioned.

"Yes, a blood test." Katie repeated.

"How long will it take for the results to come in?" Arnold wondered.

"A few weeks." Katie replied as she stood up and began to lead Arnold towards another room.

"A few weeks, I don't have that long my class is heading back to the states as soon as possible." Arnold protested as they walked down the hallway.

"Don't worry, I already talked to your grandparents and Miles and Stella. They both agreed that it's fine with them and they will look after you while your class goes back to the states." Katie assured him as they stopped in front of a new door.

"When did this happen?" Arnold questioned as Katie opened the door.

"When I spoke with each and every one of them." Katie answered as she and Arnold stepped inside the new room. This room reminded Arnold of a doctor's office. It was so white and shiny. It also had many medical tools. Arnold sat himself up on the resting bed just as a blood technician entered with the tools and needle for taking a blood sample. At the sight of the tools. Arnold felt himself become a little nervous. Then he remembered his parents were waiting for him.

 _Okay Arnold, you saved your neighbor, escaped from a dangerous river pirate and awoken the green eyes and your parents. You can do this._ Arnold thought to himself.

* * *

Sometime later, Katie walked Arnold back to his class, grandparents and his parents.

"It's done, now all you guys need to do is wait a few weeks for the test results to process." Katie said to the Shortman family.

"A few weeks?!" The whole class cried out with shock.

"That's how long it takes for dna tests to be completed." Katie explained.

"But we have to get back to the states as soon as possible! Arnold and his family have to come home with us!" Helga protested as the rest of the class nodded in agreement.

"They're going to staying here. Arnold's grandparents already explained the situation." Me. Simmons piped up.

"When are you going to come back?" Gerald questioned as Helga gave him a sad look.

"I don't know, but I promise you guys and my whole family will come back as soon as we can." Arnold assured his best friend and his secret new girlfriend.

* * *

Sometime later, after his class had gone to the airport, Arnold, his grandparents and his parents were searching for the hotel that Katie had araged for them to spend the few weeks at.

"Where is it?" Phil wondered as the cab drove through the city.

"We'll get there when there Dad." Miles assured him "Just be patient." He added.

Soon after he said that, the cab stopped in front of the hotel.

"Is this it?" Phil questioned.

The cab nodded as he parked the car and got out to gather Arnold and his grandparents things in the truck.

As Arnold and his family got out of the cab, the young boy looked up at the hotel. It was a nice looking hotel that was tall and shiny.

 _How much money did it cost to build this hotel?_ The fifth grader wondered to himself. Then he was brought out of his thoughts as his parents said "Let's go inside, Arnold."

Stella thanked the driver as they took their stuff and went inside.

As Phil and Guerte went up the receptionist to check in, Arnold and his parents sat down in a pair of chairs as they waited. Then Stella asked "What grade are you in again?"

"I'm in fifth grade but I'll be going to sixth next fall."Arnold answered.

"I forget to ask, what's life like in the boarding house? Did any new tenits join?" Miles questioned.

"Well we have Ernie who works in building. Mr. Hyunh and I don't know what he does and there's Oskar Kokoschka, he likes to gamble his money away and is very lazy. He used to have a wife named Susie but she left he recently." Arnold explained.

"Why would Dad allow this Oskar guy to stay in the boarding house?" Miles questioned.

Arnold shrugged his shoulders as he replied "I don't know." Then he changed the subject with "We also have lots of stray animals that come to the boarding house and leave whenever they want. Aside from Abnur."

"How is Abnur?" Stella questioned.

"He's fine. He's very sweet." Arnold remarked.

"I knew it. I knew he would become a sweet little piggy." Stella cooed.

Miles and Arnold exchanged a glance.

"Don't worry, your mom isn't always this cutesy." Miles whispered.

"What?" Stella questioned.

"Nothing." Miles replied a little too quickly as Arnold changed the subject "Why don't we take a tour around the city tomorrow with Grandma and Grandpa?"

"What are we going to do tomorrow?" Grandpa Phil asked as he and his wife walked towards the tiro.

"I was just suggesting that we could explore the city tomorrow since neither of us has ever been to this city." Arnold explained.

"Actually, I arrived to San Lorenzo through this city." Miles explained, when he saw the sad look on Arnold's face "However I won't mind taking a tour of the city, it's been a long since me and Stella have explored it." He quickly added.

"Why don't we talk about this some more after we reach our hotel room." Grandpa Phil stated as Arnold and his parents followed Phil and Gertie to their hotel room.

* * *

Sometime later, they had finished unpacking all of their things and picked out their beds. Now all that the Shortman family needed to do was decide what to have for dinner and what places they would be visiting tomorrow.

"We do need to buy some new clothes for us." Stella reminded her husband as he looked through the travel guide.

"Sure." Miles agreed before Phil interrupted with "Have you guys decided what you want for dinner yet?"

Arnold and Guerte nodded their heads, while both Miles and Stella said "Let us look over the menu for a little longer, we still haven't made up our minds yet."

"Alright." Phil agreed.

* * *

Sometime after dinner, the whole Shortman family were getting ready for bed. As Arnold was waiting for his turn to brush his teeth, he couldn't but once again reflect on how surreal this had been. He came here on a class trip and here he was with his parents getting ready to go home and be a family again. Hopefully the next flight Katie would pick for them out of San Lorenzo wouldn't be too early in the morning. But all Arnold could do was hope for the best, just as that was all he could do for the test results. With that, Arnold tucked himself in his bed and laid there for a long time before he closed his eyes and fell fast asleep.

* * *

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	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own any characters, except my own. Hey Arnold belongs to Craig Bartlett and Nickelodeon.**

 **Thank you bookish-rebel and milmil1197 for your reviews.**

 **Thank you CMR Rosa for choosing to favorite this story.**

 **Thank you DavidC20OfficialWriter for choosing to follow and favorite this story.**

 **Thank you and bookish-rebel for choosing to follow this story.**

* * *

Two weeks later, Arnold and his family anxiously awaited the results of their DNA tests. Today was the day that their family could be reunited for good or be torn apart.

Arnold looked up his parents and said "I don't care what the test says, I seen your photos over and over again to know what you look like. You are my parents no matter what."

With that, Arnold pulled his parents into a tight embrace followed by his grandparents.

"You know what. I don't care either." Grandpa Phil added. "I know my own son like I know my own mind."

"And I know _my_ own son like I know _my_ own mind." Miles chimed in.

"Don't you mean, _our_ son?" Stella added in a playful tone.

Arnold cringed uncomfortably at his parent's playfulness with each other.

 _Is this what other kids feel like when parents make out in front of them?!_ Arnold thought to himself as pulled his shirt over his head.

Then, he heard his parents and grandparents laughing and that made the 11 year old even more embarrassed.

Then, he heard the laughter quickly die down as Kate's voice joined in with "What's going on? What's so funny and why is Arnold's head inside his shirt?"

Arnold quickly pulled his head out of his shirt as his family said "Nothing."

Kate looked as though she didn't believe them, but said nothing as she handed them the envelope that contained the results of the DNA test. As Phil took the envelope and opened it, the tension was so high that it could be cut with a knife. Phil looked at the test results and said "I'm so glad to have you back, son."

As he finished speaking he threw his arms around Miles and Stella, Phil started to sob. Then Gertie and Arnold joined in the group hug and started to sob as well. They cried tears of happiness and joy, until an employee walked up to them and asked them what was wrong.

"The test says he is my son!" Phil cried out as he held up the DNA test results.

"And he's my son too!" Gertie chimed in as she wrapped her arms around Phil's neck. As Phil and Gertie hugged each even more tightly, Miles, Stella and Arnold all broke apart and formed their own little hug.

"You've grown so Arnold." Stella whispered as she hugged her son close to her chest. Before Arnold or his father Miles could reply to her words, an employee interrupted them with "I'm sorry to interrupt your family reunion, but all of you are starting to scare the customers."

* * *

Sometime later, the entire Shortman family was back at the US embassy with Katie. As they sat in her office, Katie said "As you all know, you all need passports in order to return to the states, sadly Miles and Stella's passports have expired by now. Fortunately, since the DNA test proved who they are, the hard part is over. We just need to have your photos taken and your new passports will be reissued in two weeks."

"Two weeks?!" The whole Shortman family cried out at once.

"We already spent more than enough time here! We want to go home now!" Miles protested.

"Dad…" Arnold interrupted as he put his right hand of his father's right shoulder. _Man, that's cool._ Arnold thought to himself. He quickly pulled himself out of his thoughts as he said "As much as I love to spend summer with you guys back in the states, I'm just happy to spend time with you and Mom in this country. Until we can go back, why don't we learn more about it. I was born here after all."

"How did you know that?" Stella wondered.

"I learned it after Grandpa read your journal Dad." Arnold explained. _This is never going to get old._ The young boy thought to himself.

* * *

A few minutes later, Arnold and his grandparents were sitting in the waiting room of the embassy as Miles and Stella were getting their passport pictures taken. Once they were finished, Katie walked up to them and said "I'm so sorry about this, but we need to do testing on you to make sure that the both of you are healthy before you can go back to the states."

"What?!" The whole Shortman family yelled at once.

"How much more stuff do they have to do?!" Arnold demanded.

"Welcome to beauacury, where the term 'Kafkaesque' is the norm." Phil replied in a disappointed tone.

"What does Kafkaesque mean?" Arnold questioned.

"It can be summed up in two words, nightmarish paperwork." Stella interrupted with a frown on her face.

"If the paperwork is so bad then why do you still do it?" Arnold questioned.

"Because they are a necessary evil to keep people honest about they say they are." Katie explained.

* * *

Sometime later, the Shortman family were having dinner in the hotel lobby as Phil was making a phone call back to the boarding house.

"So, Who did you guys leave in charge of the boarding house?" Arnold wondered.

"Ernie and Mr. Hyuh." Gertie replied in a matter of fact tone.

"How is the boarding house these days?" Miles questioned as he took a slip of water.

"It's going fine. It's me, Phil, Arnold, Ebner, Ernie, Mr. Hyuh and Oskar Kankaska." Gertie replied.

"Who are they?" Stella wondered.

"Ernie, Mr. Hyuh and Oskar are our boarding members." Arnold explained. "Ernie and Mr. Hyuh are cool, but I admit that Oskar can get on my nerves sometimes."

"What does Oskar do?" Miles wondered as a look of concerned appeared on his face.

"Nothing really until his wife had enough of his lasting around and left him." Gertie explained.

"What job does he now?" Miles asked again as Stella listened in.

Gertie thought about it for a minute before she answered "I have no idea."

Miles and Stella exchanged glances, they may not have met Oskar, but it sounded like he was not the kind of person that they wanted around their son.

Changing the subject, Miles asked "What are Ernie and Mr. Hyuh like?"

"Ernie's a nice guy who enjoys his job as a construction worker and Mr. Hyuh is a nice guy who also enjoys his job. I have no idea what he does but both men pay their rent on time." Gertie explained. Then she changed the subject with "Your father and I have been discussing this for the last few days and we've been thinking you and Stella can stay in the boarding house for as long as you need."

Miles smiled at his mom as he said "Thanks."

Then he stood up and gave his mom a hug. As he sat back down besides his wife, Stella added "I can't believe that so much has changed while we were asleep. I can't believe what happened in New York, what had a Black President and cell phone can so much more than the normal phone."

"The normal phones don't exist anymore Mom and Dad, unless you live in Alaska." Arnold explained.

"Why don't they have cell phones?" Stella questioned.

"It's because most cell phones nowadays have WiFi and WiFi is very expensive in Alaska." Arnold explained.

"What's WiFi?" Stella asked.

Arnold was taken aback, then he remembered that his parents were asleep for the last ten years. The young boy let out a sigh before he said "WiFi is short for wireless frequency. It makes it easier to get the internet anywhere."

"Why would you want to get the internet from anywhere?" Stella questioned.

"Because you can do so much on the internet nowadays, you can upload pictures and videos online." Arnold started to explain. However his mom interrupted with "You can upload videos to the internet now?"

"Yeah and they even have special sites for it. They even shows that you can only watch online." Arnold explained.

"What are these shows like and what are they called?" Stella asked.

Before Arnold could continue to explain, the waiter came over and asked "What would you all like for dessert?"

"I would like to look over the menu." Arnold said as he opened up the dessert menu.

"Me too." His parents agreed as they opened their dessert menu.

* * *

Sometime later, the whole Shortman family was enjoying their desserts. Arnold had decided to have an ice crake that he could share with his parents, while Phil and Gertie shared a banana split with each other. On their way back to their rooms, Arnold looked up at his parents and said "This was the best dinner I ever had."

"Why?" Stella asked as she placed her left arm around her son's shoulder.

"Because my family was back together again for the first time in a long time and we all had dinner together." Arnold stated.

At once, the whole family engaged in a group hug. Then they broke apart and returned back to their rooms.

As Arnold and his grandparents sat down on their beds, Arnold looked at them and said "Can I go to my parents room and watch a movie with them please?"

"Sure." Both Phil and Gertie said at the same time.

Arnold gave his grandparents a hug and left the room. Once he reached his parents room, he knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Called the voice of Miles.

"It's me, Arnold." The young boy replied.

At once, Miles opened the door and asked "Are you okay? Are grandma and grandpa okay?"

"We're fine, I just want to watch a movie with you guys." Arnold explained.

A grin cracked across Miles's face as he invited his son into his room.

Upon seeing their son, Stella opened her mouth to ask Arnold if everything was okay, but Miles quickly explained "Arnold just wants to watch a movie with us."

Stella gave her son and husband a lovely smile as she said "What would movie would you like to watch?"

"Anything as long as it's in English." Arnold stated as sat himself down on his parent's bed.

Miles and Stella joined their son on the bed as Miles picked up a remote and hit the 'on-demand'.

As he looked through the movies, he muttered "Wow, I still can't believe that the world changed so much while we were sleeping. When did this 'on-demand' thing start?" Miles said in a voice between amazement and sadness.

"Sometime in the year 2000, I think." Arnold replied as he took out his phone and started to look up when on-demand came into existence.

"When did cell phones started to do that?" Stella wondered.

"Awhile ago." Arnold answered vaguely as he discovered the year on demand was invented in the year. "1990?!" The young boy muttered in shock.

"What's wrong?" Both Miles and Stella asked at once.

"Nothing, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just surprised that ondemand was invented in the early 90s." Arnold explained.

"Please don't scare us like that again." Stella replied as Miles started to look through the movies.

"I found some movies in English and they are _Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter, Batman and Superman._ What would you like to watch?" Miles stated as he scrolled through the movie menu.

Arnold always enjoyed watching _Harry Potter_ , but he thought it over and realized he would be explaining so much of the world of Harry Potter to his parents that he wouldn't have time to enjoy the movie while explained it all to his parents, so he looked at his parents and said "Let's watch _Batman."_

Soon the three of them were enjoying the classic movie, with laughter and fun. By the time the movie ended, the three of them were chatting about their favorite parts.

"As horrifying as it was when the Joker poisoned Gotham's hygienic projects, I can't help but admit that his commercial was pretty funny." Miles stated.

"I liked the part when Bruce tells Vicki and Knox that the amor's from Japan, because he bought it in Japan." Stella stated. "It's pretty obvious that Knox never took a history class in college." She added.

"He went to college to be a newspaper writer not to be a world historian, Mom." Arnold reminded her. _Still not tired of saying it._ Arnold thought to himself.

"Anyway, What was your favorite part Arnold?" Stella asked.

Arnold thought it over for a moment before he replied with "My favorite part was when Batman finally got revenge on the man that killed his parent. Who would thought that it was the Joker of all people?"

Miles looked at his son with an amused smirk as he replied "You never watched this movie before have you?"

"No, I only watched the _Dark Knight Trilogy."_ Arnold explained.

"Is it a new series of _Batman_ movies?" Miles asked.

"Well, there not new anymore. They got replaced the DCEU." Arnold remarked. "That's short for extended universe." He quickly added.

"Why is it called the extended universe?" Miles wondered.

"Because they're a bunch of different movies that all take place in the same universe." Arnold explained.

"When did that happen?" Miles questioned.

"About a couple of years ago." Arnold replied.

"It must be really good for _DC_ to take a big risk that like." Mikes remarked as he mused over the idea.

"Actually most fans hate it and see it as a ripoff of the MCU. MCU stands for the _Marvel Cinematic Universe._ It's also a shared movie universe, only it's all about _Marvel_ movies. They came up with the idea first a couple of years ago Now just about every movie company is trying to copy their success." Arnold explained.

"When did this happen?" Miles inquired, amazed that comic book movies had suddenly become so popular.

Then, Stella looked at the time and said "I think that while Arnold would love to answer all of your questions, it's starting to get late and we all need to get a good night's sleep."

With that, Arnold gave both of his parents a hug as he went to back to his grandparents room. He do be them getting ready for bed and brushing their teeth.

"How was the movie?" Phil asked Arnold as he left the bathroom.

"It was fun." Arnold remarked as he gathered his pajamas in his right arm. "We laughing, gasping and cheering all at once." He added before he walked to the bathroom. As Arnold closed the door, he heard Phil say "Sounds like you guys had a great time."

As Arnold changed into his pajamas and brushed his teeth, he heard the phone ring. Arnold tried hear what his grandpa was talking about over the phone, but the door blocked out the sounds and so did brushing his teeth. Arnold finished getting ready as quickly as possible and hurried back to the main room just as Phil hung up the phone.

"Was that Katie? Did she say we could go home? Did she say when?" Arnold asked, unable to contain the excitement in his voice.

Phil let out a chuckle as he said "Slow down Shortman. Of course she said we can go home. Your parents passports are ready to go!"

Arnold let out a cry of joy and he lept in the air.

"We're going back to Hillwood! We're going back to Hillwood!" He cheered, alongside Gertie before Phil told them both not to disturb the other guests.

"Sorry." Arnold apologized as he calmed himself and his grandma down.

Then, Phil called Miles and Stella's room and told the pair the good news.

* * *

The next day, the whole Shortman family was on their way to the San Lorenzo international airport.

"I can't believe that we're finally going home!" Arnold cheered in excitement.

At once, all of the adults held a finger up to their lips as they whispered "Shhh…"

"I'm sorry, I'm just so happy to be going with all of you guys." Arnold apologized.

"I'm just happy to awake at last, seeing my son again and going home with the family I love." Miles stayed as he looked over his family with happiness.

"Don't you mean _, our_ son." Stella reminded her husband in flirty manner.

"Right, Sorry." Miles apologized as a look of sadness suddenly appeared in his eyes.

Arnold quickly took notice as he asked "Dad, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, It's just that we've been away from you and Hillwood for so long, I'm afraid of what I might go back to." Miles confessed.

Arnold put his hand on his Dad's shoulder as he looked him in right in the eye as he said "No matter what happens, I'll help you and Mom adjust to all the changes."

* * *

Awhile later, the Shortman family were each showing their passports to the flight attendants as they loaded their luggage on the plane. Then all that was left to do, was waiting in the boarding area. As the Shortman family say the lobby, they each looked around at many of the happy families that were waiting to go back home. In particular, Miles and Stella looked at a couple who was watching their baby boy walking and talking. However, then they heard the parents mention that their son was two and it hit Miles and Stella how much they missed during the years they were asleep. As Miles and Stella each tried not to cry, it was soon time to board the plane. They stood up with their family, showed the flight attendants their boarding passes and walked into the plane. Soon the Shortman family found their seats. They then sat down and buckled up, as they waited for the plane to take off.

"Are you excited?" Arnold asked his parents.

"A little bit." Miles stated just as the plane began to take off.

 _This is it. After all this time, we're going home as a family._ He mused to himself as he looked out the window, watching the ground get smaller beneath him as the plane took them back to Hillwood and an uncertain future.

* * *

 **I know Arnold jumping up and down and cheering is out of character for him, but I think he would do this under the circumstances.**

 **What do you think?**

 **Please leave a review.**


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